In the past, many different types of devices have been proposed for attachment to the muzzle end of the barrels of firearms for accomplishing a variety of purposes. Most notably, such devices have been intended for reducing or silencing the noise produced by the firing of the weapon or for reducing the recoil of the gun. Some such attachments have been proposed for stabilizing the flight of the projectile.
For example, Durnford U.S. Pat. No. 587,802 and Fosberry U.S. Pat. No. 323,303 disclose attachments for shotgun type barrels for stabilizing a single projectile when used in such weapons, whereas Alsop U.S. Pat. 37,193 discloses a rifled section of barrel attached to the end of a smoothbore section to stabilize the projectile.
Another early effort resulted in DeBrame U.S. Pat. 32,685, which provided a so-called "skeleton" barrel, in which the groove portions of the barrel were removed leaving only the land portions separated by slots. The purpose was to reduce gas pressure in the barrel and to reduce friction.
Belgium patent No. 633,617 relates to a flash suppressor attached to the end of a barrel, and having a flared opening provided with slots in the flared portion as opposed to the cylindrical portion of the walls.
An early flash "hider" is disclosed in Burton U.S. Pat. No. 1,283,465, this device being little more than an enlarged extension of the muzzle end to literally (and hopefully) "hide" the muzzle flash. Experience has determined, however, that the ability to hide the flash by such a device is rather limited, in that the flash, which is caused by unburned gases which ignite when they reach the outside air, continues beyond the practical end of such a device.
An improved flash suppressor is disclosed in applicant's prior U. S. Pat. No. 4,570,529 which provided the added benefit of increased muzzle velocity and accuracy of the projectile, by combining the use of a smoothbore barrel extension with a plurality of radial slots in an extended portion of the flash suppressor body to permit a fuller burn of the propellant before exiting the barrel, thereby reducing the flash.
The present invention provides an improvement over the applicant's prior Pat. No. 4,570,529 in terms of a still greater flash reduction, and with the additional benefits of reduced muzzle lift on firing, reduced blowback of gases into the barrel, and a cooler barrel during prolonged firing, thus further enabling the use of lighter weight alloys for the barrel.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved flash suppressor for firearms.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved flash suppressor of the type adapted to be removably secured to the muzzle end of rifled barrels.
A further object of the invention is to provide a flash suppressor which reduces the muzzle jump or lift upon firing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a flash suppressor of the type which uses a smoothbore extension of the conventional rifle gun barrel in combination with a further extension allowing dissipation of unburned gases without significant ignition thereof.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an improved flash suppressor which provides a cooler gun barrel during prolonged firing.